Where are the stars of Gregory's Girl after over 40 years?

The feel-good coming-of-age story made its glittering debut in 4k definition at the Glasgow Film Theatre last year over 40 years after its original release.

But have you ever wondered what became of some of the actors in the cult classic?

We have taken a look at what they've been up to since and where they are now. 

Gregory – John Gordon Sinclair

He charmed audiences as the hopeless – and hapless – romantic Gregory Underwood. But John Gordon Sinclair’s career started out as an apprentice electrician in Glasgow.

He developed an interest in acting when he joined the Glasgow Youth Theatre, where he met Robert Buchanan, who plays Andy in Gregory’s Girl.

Gregory’s Girl was not the only project Sinclair joined forces with director Bill Forsyth for: he featured in 1983’s Local Hero and Gregory’s Girl’s less successful sequel, Gregory’s Two Girls, in 1999.  

READ MORE: Did you know that this Glasgow pub was the Clansman in Still Game?

He appeared in the 1982 Scotland World Cup song ‘We Have a Dream’ and his more recent acting credits include an appearance in the zombie apocalypse film World War Z, which was filmed in Glasgow.

Dorothy – Dee Hepburn

East Kilbride born and bred Dee Hepburn played Dorothy, Gregory’s love interest for most of the film who dazzles the boys on the school football team when she decides to try out for the team – and wipes the floor with them.

Despite thinking she looked ‘terrible’ in the film, a clip of Hepburn was used as part of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“It was lovely to be part of the Olympics, even in a tiny way,” Hepburn said at the time.

Apart from her role as Dorothy, Hepburn’s other main credit was a three-year stint as Anne-Marie Wade in ITV soap Crossroads in the mid-1980s.

Susan – Clare Grogan

When director Bill Forsyth spotted a 19-year-old Clare Grogan while she worked at the Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Glasgow, he wanted to cast her as Susan, who Gregory ends up going on a date with at the end of the film.

READ MORE: 'I cry properly at least once a day' - Clare Grogan on the emotional return of Altered Images

It took some convincing – and a bit of Derma wax – before the producers were on board, as Grogan had sustained a nasty facial injury after being hit by broken glass after being caught in the crossfire of a fight.

Since winning over Gregory’s heart, Grogan had roles in EastEnders, Father Ted, and Taggart, but many of us may know her more for her music. She was the lead singer of the new wave band Altered Images, who were known for their hits Happy Birthday, I Could Be Happy and Don’t Talk to Me About Love in the early 1980s.

Andy – Robert Buchanan

Having met through the former Glasgow Youth Theatre, Robert ‘Rab’ Buchanan was good pals with John Gordon Sinclair when they met Bill Forsyth.

Before his role as fan favourite Andy – and before he hitchhiked to Caracas – he appeared in That Sinking Feeling in 1979.

READ MORE: Gregory's Girl star thanks 'amazing' Glasgow audience

He then went on to co-star with Clare Grogan in Comfort and Joy before retiring from acting and working at the Tolbooth Theatre in Stirling.

Alec – Alex Norton

One of Alex Norton’s first acting credits was Alec in Gregory’s Girl, and he has since become one of the most recognised actors in Scotland. Much like his co-stars, Norton was a favoured choice for Bill Forsyth and he also went on to appear in Local Hero and Comfort and Joy.  

He mixed with the Hollywood giants with his roles in White Hunter, Black Heart alongside Clint Eastwood in 1990, featured in Patriot Games with Harrison Ford in 1992 and stood with Mel Gibson in 1995’s classic Braveheart.

Perhaps Norton’s most famous role came in 2002 when he starred in Taggart for eight years. He is most recently recognised as Eric Baird in the BBC sitcom Two Doors Down, which co-stars Arabella Weir, Jonathan Watson, and Elaine C Smith.

Glasgow Times readers will also recognise Norton’s voice as he narrates our Glasgow Crime Stories podcast.

Coach Phil – Jake D’Arcy

Before he was Pete the Jakey, Jake D’Arcy was Phil Menzies, the coach of the boys’ football team in Gregory’s Girl.

He has featured in Tutti Frutti, Rab C Nesbitt, Taggart and Outnumbered to name a few, but Glasgow audiences probably know him best for his role as Peter McCormack in Still Game.

He was known as ‘Pete the Jakey’ and was often the butt of many jokes from the Craiglang pensioners.

D’Arcy died in 2015 at the age of 69.